Banjo

What are you? Spinmeister from Central Casting or just a fundamentalist in denial? You refuse read studious, objective accounts of the Tampa fiasco - your memory 'serves you well' because you 'took a lot of interest it the matter at the time'.

You may not read, but other posters might. Therefore I recommend David Marr's "His Master's Voice: The Corruption of Public Debate Under Howard", (Quarterly Essay, 26, 2007). Mungo MacCallum also deals with the cover-up and deceit about Tampa ("Girt by Sea: Australia, the Refugees and the Politics of Fear", QA, 5, 2002).

"Such was the debasement of both politics and the media: honesty, ethics and morality -even the simple truth of the matter - were no longer of primary or even secondary importance. All that mattered was the votes" (MacCallum p. 59).

So, Banjo, if you are relying on what the media said at the time, you're probably misinformed as to the facts- as they were. The so-called Tampa hijacking, for example, turns out to have been a Liberal Government lie. The election was looming and they were running out of time.

The lies about SIEV X have been thoroughly discredited by the Senate inquiry. Why do you keep peddling the now demolished line put out by Ruddock et al?

Yes I did hear Kevin Rudd say that his Government would turn back the boats with asylum seekers. They would be directed to Christmas Island (note not Nauru) for processing, he said. If Rudd does not treat them humanely I'll be the first to complain.

Did you know that for many years now there are many more asylum seekers and refugees who come by air than by boat? Why has the former Howard Government been so keen to beat the media drums about 'boat people' and nary a word about the 'aeorplane people'?

'Boat people' stories sell because you can get dramatic, scary 'news' footage. What can the TV stations do with an aeroplane landing?

FrankGol,
I stand by my comments in relation to the Tampa and the Siev x as accurate. But Hey, believe it or not there is something we agree on.

There have been many asylum seekers arrive by air, and I maintain all asylum seekers (invaders) shouls be treated the same. No need for lenghty detainment, if they fail UN criteria at first attempt they should be shipped back to their last place of embarking.

There have been allegations, by reputable people, that some have engaged light aircraft to fly from Indonesia to Aus. there are plenty of rural strips and even ww11 airstrips in Northern Aus that could be used and GPS navigation and modern phones Makes contact with mates here easy. I further understand that there has been evidence of quite large aircraft landing at some WW11 airfields, so one wonders what they were bringing in or taking out. The point is that not all asylum seekers (invaders) are poor and destitute.

But I agree, there should not be any difference in how illegals are treated and we should not bend the rules to accomadate them.

Dear Frank
while fully recognizing the 'political' aspect of the various incidents you raised.. Tampa and Siev-X.... if I may offer a perspective on the comment you made:

>>The lies about SIEV X have been thoroughly discredited by the Senate inquiry<<

Now..being the cynic that I am, and reasonably well read on history, and the nature of human interaction, my first question is..."Who was on the committee... who decided its direction... was the outcome predecided in the minds of some members" etc etc etc.

Why do I approach it so cynically? aah.. there is a new 'book' out by 2 Academics in the USA...and its about "The Israel Lobby" and the impact of this lobby being wayyyyyyy bigger than its numbers would suggest. They take the line that the Israel lobby has in fact managed to directly influence US foreign policy, including the 'suggestion' of the invasion of Iraq, to the actual deteriment of US interests.

Now.. putting aside for a moment whether they are right or wrong, or somewhere in between, lets look at how their 'target' the Israel lobby reacted to them.

1/ Op eds condemning them in Jewish controlled media outlets. (New York Times, Washington post)(Mearsheimer in an abc interview yesterday)
2/ Smear campaign where they were labelled 'anti-semitic' (the old faithful)
3/ The New York Sun chased down David Duke (KKK) and 'interviewed' him about how he felt re the book and its topic... needless to say a Jew hating KKK grand wizard, would view such a book 'positively'..and thus.. it came out that "KKK /DUKE endorses Mearsheimer and Walts book" aaah.. 'mud'....dripping down their faces........

The book was so sensitive no publisher in the USA would publish it.....
Then...Abraham Foxman brings out this book: "The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control"

Myth? :) Mearsheimer and Walt might have a thing or 2 to say about that.

Bottom line... media.. politics... I hardly think any it is without 'ulterior' motive and that includes the Left perspective on Tampa, Siev-X and the Howard mob

David

Senate Committees have all-Party membership. If one Party thinks the information is being wrongly interpreted, or if they think the Committee is biased, members are entitled to present a minority report.

The reference for this report is:
Senate, Select Committee on A Certain Maritime Incident - Report, Commonwealth of Australia, 2002
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/Committee/maritime_incident_ctte/index.htm

The members were:

Senator the Hon Peter Cook, WA, ALP (Chair)
Senator George Brandis, QLD, LP (Deputy Chair)
Senator Alan Ferguson, SA, LP
Senator Brett Mason, QLD, LP
Senator Andrew Bartlett, QLD, AD
Senator Jacinta Collins, VIC, ALP
Senator the Hon John Faulkner, NSW, ALP
Senator Shayne Murphy, TAS, IND

As you can see: a balanced membership. There was never any suggestion of bias or cynicism.

Chapter 1 gives a good overview.

The Tampa and SIEV X affairs will go down in history as the deepest pits of the Howard/Ruddock era's cynical manipulation of refugees and asylum seekers for short-term political advantage at the cost of vulnerable human lives.

Very instructive indeed.

Banjo's uniquely impeccable and unbiased memory is a more reliable account of the Tampa incident than those of published and authoritative sources.

Boazy, without any evidence whatsoever, questions the integrity of an all-Party Senate committee.

This is wilful ignorance of the worst order. How do these clowns expect to be taken seriously?

CJ, couldn’t agree more. Frank, I am finding this report fascinating – thanks.

With all due respect, especially to Corri – May I suggest Frank start a new thread on a topic of his choosing.

This one is going off-topic and as usual, Boazy now wants to hijack it to demonstrate he has no other life but OLO, even on a Sunday